Edinburgh Fringe Preview 2024 – Part Eight

The voices of various generations.

Sara Barron

Sara Barron came over to the UK a few year’s back carrying plaudits from her appearances at the cult New York storytelling night The Moth. Yeah right, I thought. Anyone can claim anything if they’ve done it somewhere else and if there is one thing Americans are great at it is bullshitting. And then I saw Barron and realised she is the real deal. Funny, acidic and so sharp her lines cut right into you. In a comic way I mean. She’s got attitude to burn but she’s not a big head, she’s can be modest and painfully honest about her own failings too. It all works perfectly, like a well-lubricated comedy machine.

In her new show Anything For You, the co-host of hit TV-chat podcast They Like To Watch dissects our thorny relationships with our mothers. She asks why we're so angry at the women who made us, grew us, and would die for us. It’s show for anyone who's ever had a mother and has been flabbergasted by how full of rage their mother can make them. And how ruthless you can be when you're enraged. Stand well back, Hurricane Barron is coming to Edinburgh. Actually don’t stand well back, buy a ticket.

Monkey Barrel, July 29 - August 25, 4.45pm.

Finlay Christie

Are the comedians getting younger or am I getting older? Finlay Christie made his Fringe debut in 2022 with his show OK Zoomer and is still only 24 years old. He is back now with his follow-up I Deserve This, directed by Bobby Mair. Christie’s first show was an impressive calling card, his second show should cement his reputation as one of the leading lights of stand-up’s next generation, someone who is prepared to tackle the big issues, albeit from his own stylish sideways perspective.

In I Deserve This online star Christie (picture by Rebecca Need-Menear) asks why young people secretly love climate change, why the news is only aimed at old people, and offers a foolproof plan to get young people on the property ladder. He delves into his school experiences, moving from private education to a state school after failing his exams. In an attempt to hide his privileged background he changed his accent and started rapping. But then who wouldn’t?

Throw in a meeting with a tiger in Thailand and a drug-induced paranoia that almost ended a family member’s life and you’ve got one heck of a back story for someone so young. Could this be Christie’s year. Start the bidding now. Oh, and the answer to the question at the start is both.

Monkey Barrel, July 29 - August 25, 10.40pm.

Ania Magliano

There can’t be many better feelings than heading up to the Edinburgh Fringe having just had an award nomination. Yesterday Ania Magliano was named as a Breakthrough Artist in the Sky Arts Awards. It’s an acknowledgement, as if it were needed, that Magliano is one of the most significant voices among the newer crop of comedians. Those who have followed her career will, of course, already know this. Her 2023 show I Can’t Believe You’ve Done This, which was nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award, was a deceptively powerful show, skilfully drawing together disparate autobiographical strands, from sexual assault and breast reduction to Thai boxing and bad haircuts.

In this year’s show, Forgive Me, Father, Magliano (picture by Rebecca Need-Menear) takes an honest look at her impulsive behaviour and all-or-nothing personality, and explores in what way her parents shaped her own relationships. The show will also see Ania discuss her obsession with her boyfriend's ex, the terrifyingly powerful vibrator she bought by mistake and her fascination with celebrity breakups. Expect a few shocks along the way from a comedian who not afraid to go into more detail than you might normally expect in a comedy show.

Pleasance Courtyard, July 31 - August 25, 6.40pm.

Read more Fringe recommendations here.

The Edinburgh Fringe runs from August 2- 26, previewing from the very end of July. For tickets and more details of all the shows here go to edfringe.com.